How (He Made Her Cry)
by southsidesister
Summary: "All those unspoken words were weighing on them heavily. If only he would tell her how he felt." Harvey and Donna finally connect on all levels. Picks up right where 8x16 ended.


_A/N I know there are already so many wonderful post 8.16 fics out there, but I just couldn't help myself, because _that_ promo inspired me. I hope you enjoy it._

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Harvey slowly crawled on top of her, from his position between her legs, his erection throbbing like it had its own heartbeat. He wanted nothing more than to bury himself inside of her, but instead he lingered. Licking his lips, he tasted the remnants of her sex on his tongue. As he looked down, he lost himself in the sight before him. Auburn locks splayed on her pillow, her eyes closed, a soft smile playing at her slightly swollen lips, her porcelain skin covered with little beads of sweat here and there. She was perfect and hopefully after tonight, his.

Donna was basking in the afterglow of the marvelous orgasm his mouth and fingers had induced. 'Wow, Harvey,' she thought to herself, but she stopped herself from thinking much else. She could no longer deny that she wanted him, but what did he want? The uncertainty made her cautious. She slowly opened her eyes and met his stare, looking at him expectantly while she ran her fingers up and down his back. She felt his tip ready to break down the last barrier between them and knew this was the point of no return. After tonight, everything would be different. The only question was 'how?'

When he had knocked on her door, Harvey hadn't had a plan. He wanted to see her. _Needed_ to see her. Donna. The one person that makes him a better man; makes him _want to be_ a better man. The person that's seen him at his worst, and his best. The one person that seems to see right through him, and still cares about him; thinks he is worthy of being cared about. He wished it hadn't taken him so goddamned long to see it, but when you depend on someone _that_ much, the fear of losing that person is blinding, unthinkable, undeniable.

For too long he had let fear dictate his decisions. But no more.

Their kisses were rough, body parts clashing, nails scratching, teeth biting as they let their mutual desire run wild. As soon as he got her naked, he assaulted her wet and waiting core, wanting to pleasure her, savor her, make her scream his name. He wanted to show her that he would always take care of her first.

And she let him.

Stunned by his bold actions, Donna relished in his touch, his scent, having lost all fight in her. She knew she had to thread carefully. Harvey had gone back and changed his mind before, when it came to her. Over the years, there had been several moments where she hoped he was ready, or where he'd shown her he really did care, but he never followed through, always leaving it hanging between them, even denying it was there. Therefore, now with him in her bed, she was still not sure if anything had changed. But she'd enjoy it while it lasted, shutting down her emotions if she had to. She would just let him fuck her, coveting the release.

Their make out session had been mostly wordless, if you don't count the 'oh gods', 'fuck' and 'Harvey!' that Donna emitted in various levels of volume as Harvey went down on her. There was still a distance then, but now that he was on top of her, ready to fill her, his eyes dark with desire, the intimacy grew rapidly.

She saw a softness in his face. Something she had seldom seen; a look he seemed to preserve just for her. A glimmer of hope thundered through her, but she forced it out with all her might.

Harvey tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and dipped to kiss her, accidentally sliding inside her just an inch. She was so wet and welcoming; it took no effort at all. The move surprised them both as a throaty sigh left her. Harvey continued to kiss her slowly, taking his time in exploring her mouth like he had never done before. His tongue found hers as her palms wandered his back, fingers dug into his skull, wanting to keep him right where he was. Forever. His hips remained frozen in place. Gentle in his cares, Harvey slowly slid back out and back in again, this time a little bit further before he stilled once more. Soft kisses were placed along her jawline, up to her ear. When his tongue flicked over her inner ear, Donna clawed her nails into him, startled at the sensation, enticing Harvey to keep his attention right there. He pulled back out again, controlled, purposeful, before he sheathed himself inside of her once more, a little harder this time.

Donna's body surged underneath him, hanging on for dear life.

The deliberate, slow movements were driving them both wild. Overcome with desire, Harvey breathed into her ear, "You're amazing."

It was the first time either one of them had really spoken and Donna felt her resolve waver; trembling at his words. She wanted to demand he fuck her hard and stop adoring her, because his pace was almost as if he was making love to her and she was not sure she could handle it. Could it be that he really wanted this, wanted _her_ this time? If so, he'd need to tell her a lot more than 'you're amazing'. Regardless, hope threatened to pierce her reluctance.

Harvey kissed her neck, gently sucking on her skin, occasionally biting as she willingly provided access. He thrusted upwards again and was run over by the feeling of her warm and wet walls enveloping his hard length. He released a guttural moan that reverberated right through her.

Thirteen years of pent up desire, longing and love culminated in two people joining and becoming one as Harvey continued to unhurriedly push all the way in, pressing his hips into hers and lingering there for just a moment before pulling out again.

Donna's hands were in his hair and on his back, coaxing him on, trying to get him to speed up, but it wasn't working. She wrapped a leg around his waist to give him access to more of her depth. The tenderness with which he showered her was overwhelming; his weight pinning her down oddly comforting. And him taking his time meant ample opportunity for her to think about what this all meant. As he devoured her mouth in another blistering kiss, it was almost too much to bear. She felt her throat constricting, a burning in her eyes, so she kept them closed. She needed to not be thinking. "Harvey, please…" She was begging now. Begging for him to stop being so sweet. To stop being so goddamned perfect.

When their eyes finally met, even in the dimly lit room Harvey could tell she was fighting back tears, just by the tone of her voice. Seeing her be this vulnerable unraveled him. It broke his heart to see her in pain. He hated himself for putting them both in this position. So instead of checking if she was ok, he chose to give her what she wanted.

As he hooked his arm under her leg, he sunk even deeper as he started to drive into her vigorously. Her warm tightness and his thick length fit together perfectly. They both knew it, they had both never forgotten.

The sounds of their lovemaking filled Donna's bedroom as ecstasy was about to be unleashed on both of them.

Harvey didn't need much, having been perilously close to orgasm the moment he slid inside of her, but he wanted her to come first. He wanted to _see_ her come.

Donna was approaching another climax hard and fast, helped by her rubbing her still sensitive clit a little. The angle of her leg provided the exact friction needed as Harvey stretched her as far as she would go.

While he pounded into her sex with a few final strokes, he watched her. He felt her convulse around him as she came for the second time that night. Her features tensed. Her moans were loud. She lost all control at his touch and was panting wildly as the waves subsided. It was the hottest thing he'd ever witnessed.

Grabbing the hand that was in between them, he pressed the back of it into the mattress, lacing his fingers with hers, bracing himself for what was coming next. Her name escaped his lips involuntarily as his own orgasm neared. His increasingly loud moans hinted at his impending release and Donna wanted nothing more than for him to come, just as she had moments ago. He dropped his head beside hers. She felt him squeeze her hand and it almost felt like he was quietly requesting permission. With his face so close, she breathed into his ear. "Let go for me."

Her low voice was so seductive, Harvey couldn't help but obey her command, shattering into a million pieces, filling her up, his body jerking as his orgasm engulfed him.

Donna felt a stray tear make its way down onto her pillow as Harvey came inside of her. She wanted him. For the rest of her life. All he needed to do was tell her he felt the same. Because right now, she was convinced he did.

Her hand started running through his hair, waiting for him to come back from his high.

As he lay on top of her, he rode out the waves, unable to move; unwilling to move. Fingers were massaging his scalp. The sensation slowly bringing him back to earth. He tried to lift his head, but it was incredibly heavy. He didn't want to crush her, even though his exhausted body needed to recover, and his current position was making that very hard.

Eventually, his lips found hers while he pulled out slowly and Harvey immediately missed their connection. He could tell she did, too. As much as he wanted to stay like this forever, his arms were starting to hurt, so he started to push himself off of her, but Donna stopped him. "Don't," she pleaded and as he looked at her, he could tell the tears that he'd seen before had succumbed to gravity. Yet her gaze was unwavering.

He just stared at her for a moment and let his thumb brush away the wetness. He traced her face, like he was looking at her for the first time. "You're so beautiful," he said sincerely. Harvey kissed her again, softly, slowly, inhaling her scent and as his lips covered hers, immersing himself in her. He loved her so much, he was never going to let her go, ever again. He started placing kisses all over her face. First her jaw, then her cheek, then the tip of her nose, her forehead, the sides of her face where he tasted salt, before circling around to where he started. He was smiling. He was goddamned happy.

"Harvey…" Donna's voice was rough. This felt awkward, and way too intimate. She needed to know what was going on. As incredible as this had been, she had to know what he wanted. He tried to kiss her again, but she placed a finger on his lips, preventing him from doing so.

"Talk to me." She didn't mean for it to sound so demanding, but she couldn't help it. She was so close to opening the floodgates to her love for him, knowing there was no going back. She needed to know.

His smile disappeared slowly as the seriousness of the situation defeated him. Maybe he should have given it more thought. Where should he even start? 'Hey Donna, I love you, you know, like _that_.' It sounded stupid. She deserved so much more. _Shit_.

"Why are you here?" Donna inquired, trying to get him to say anything at all. This silence was deafening, and it was making her uncomfortable. Had she really just imagined him making love to her? It wasn't unthinkable. If only he would tell her how he felt.

Harvey closed his eyes and let out a sigh. He wanted to talk, but words escaped him. "I just needed to…," he started and saw hope rising in her eyes. He lost all confidence right there and then. What if he screwed this up? He would never be able to live with himself. Abruptly, their closeness turned from wonderfully breathtaking to violently suffocating.

They both noticed the shift in tension in the room. All those unspoken words were weighing on them heavily.

"I just don't know where to start…" Harvey confessed, even though he _felt_ it all; the love for her, the undeniable desire to be _with_ her as her boyfriend, her man, _hers_.

He moved them onto their sides, in need of a different position to gather his thoughts and find the words, knowing exactly what he wanted to affirm deep down. While sharing a pillow, his leg slid in between hers and he drew her hips as close to him as possible.

Unbeknownst to him, this actually settled some of Donna's nerves. If he had wanted to bolt, he could have. But instead he entangled himself with her once more. So, she decided to await his response.

As they adjusted to their new position, he captured her lips with his mouth, needing to reconnect with her. He would never tire of kissing her, but he noticed her reluctance when her lips felt too far away. His determination to win her over returned as he placed his hand on her cheek, letting his thumb gently move back and forth. His smile was faint, his eyes soft, what he needed to say clear as day. He felt his heart start to pound and broke out in a cold sweat, but Harvey ignored it. There was no way back now. "I love you, Donna."

In the darkness, the quiet words echoed around the room.

Donna inhaled sharply. Goosebumps covered every inch of exposed skin as sheer joy and utter panic coursed through her.

She didn't know how to respond. Apparently, it was her turn to be at a loss for words.

"Harvey…" her voice did not sound like her own. She stared at him, dumbfounded. There was a tenderness in his eyes that caught her off guard, as he looked at her expectantly with a sheepish smile on his lips.

There was only one question she needed answered. Terrified of his response, yet incapable of not posing it, the single syllable caused her voice to quiver, when barely above a whisper, she asked, "How?"

Her eyes were big, her body tense. She braced herself for destruction, still not completely convinced.

Harvey knew exactly how, but there was no short answer, because he loved her a thousand different ways. Where should he start? He regarded her skepticism, knowing he had disappointed her too often in the past. Lipschitz' words resounded in his head; reminding him how valuable it was to just be honest about your feelings. So, he gave it his best shot and prayed to the Gods above he would find the right words.

"You are _everything_ to me, Donna." He started off tentatively. His hand started to roam, down her arm, back up over her shoulder, tracing her chin. He could focus on his hand while the words left his lips. "You are the one person I want to be with. Night and Day. I want to wake up next to you every morning. I want to come home to you every night." He spoke slowly, like every word was extremely important for her to hear. His confidence grew with every passing second.

Donna listened with bated breath as Harvey professed his love for her. The softness in his voice and on his face melted away any remaining doubt she had. He was gonna make her cry. Like a real ugly cry. Shit.

"I want to share my life with you. And I know I already do in some ways, but it's not enough. I want _more_." Harvey mirrored her words and took a breath, the need to clarify further unquestionable. "And I can't imagine sharing my life with anyone but you." He knew it almost sounded like a proposal, but Harvey didn't care. Instead he looked at her and saw her face change with every word that left his lips. Her eyes welled up and his protective side surged. Running a hand through her hair, he let his thumb once again stroke her cheek as their eyes met. "I'll be there for you, always. I'll take care of you. You know I will. I just can't spend another day pretending I don't have feelings for you, because I do." He watched her close her eyes at his words. "I don't know why I didn't see it soo…"

Donna's lips were on his like lightning, rolling on top of him as tears streamed down her face. "Goddammit, Specter," she finally uttered. "What took you so long?" She was definitely crying now. They were happy tears, but threatening to turn into a full-out bawl.

Harvey drew her close to him, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead when he felt her sob silently. He didn't even need to hear her say she loved him, too. This was all the proof he'd ever need of her love. So, he let her cry, for however long she needed to.

For the first time in what seemed like forever, Donna allowed herself to free all the emotions stowed away for over a decade. For the first time in thirteen years, she didn't have to feel guilty for wanting him, for craving his touch and moreover, he was not afraid to tell her how he felt. Her heart exploded at the realization. Her tense body relaxed against his, his touch comforting as the tears slowly faded away.

She lifted her head to meet his eyes. His face relaxed immediately when he saw her smile. She was practically beaming. As much as anyone can be beaming with red-rimmed, puffy eyes. Now it was her turn to take her time kissing him. "I love you, Harvey." The words came so easily when you didn't have to think about their possible ambiguity. They sounded so much better, too.

Harvey had been wrong. Hearing her say those three words, knowing it meant she _wanted_ him, made all the difference in the world. "How?" He teased. It sounded like a joke, but he did want to know. Eventually. Right now, he was getting ready for another round with _his _redhead.

"Make me come again and I'll tell you," she taunted as she palmed his hardening shaft, making Harvey hiss at the sudden contact.

"Oh, you're on." He flipped them over without a hitch, mischief on his lips. "You don't happen to have any whipped cream, do you?"


End file.
